Gone Too Soon
by icestar663
Summary: Alfred is just about managing to hold himself together at his brother's funeral. His brother who died far, far too young. AU. Human names. One Shot.


Alfred sat silently with his head down. On either side of him were his Dad and Papa – Arthur and Francis – and sitting behind him were a group of close friends and family. Gilbert, Feliciano, and Kiku as well as Arthur's brothers Allistor, Dylan and Connor. (Francis' family had been unable to make it over but sent their love to everyone.) There were more people in the room. People they knew. People that loved him. Loved his brother. Everyone was dressed almost entirely in black but also they all had a splash of red or white, all of them in the form of a maple leaf. Alfred knew that people around him were crying but he refused to do the same. What would Mattie think of him crying his eyes out in front of all these people. Actually, Mattie would probably have been one of the first in tears.

Alfred looked up from his memories as the man at the front of the room said his name. Trembling, he got to his feet, Arthur squeezing his hand gently as he moved past him and over to a lectern. He kept his gaze on the ground as he walked there, not wanting to catch a glimpse of the coffin that contained his twin brother. Alfred stood for a moment, surveying the packed chapel as he tried to compose himself enough so that he would be able to speak.

"Matt..." he stopped, taking a deep breath as his voice trembled before continuing, "Mattie was my best friend. My twin brother. My other half. We were really different but at the same time totally completed each other." He stopped again as his vision blurred, tears swimming in his eyes. He sniffed, "We grew up in care. He was the quiet, cute one that everyone wanted. We did everything together. He was always polite and charming and quiet but he had a bit of a competitive streak. One that could be seen in his love of hockey and the ferocity in which he played the sport, always wanting to win and better himself. But he always wanted the best for other people, too. When we were about seven he got the chance to be adopted but the family... well, they didn't want me... I was too loud and boisterous for them. And I remember that he stood by my side and folded his arms and told them stubbornly that if they didn't want me then he didn't want them. And that he would... w-would never leave me..." His voice trembled and faltered before fading to nothing. Tears running down his cheeks and blotting the ink on the paper in front of him, smudging the words slightly. "A-And he never did... not if he had any say in the matter... we were a double act and... a-and that's how it should be. He was loved by everyone who knew him. He enjoyed school and had a group of the best friends that anyone could ever wish for. I know he truly loved all of you, and none more than his boyfriend Gilbert." He glanced over at the German albino but Gilbert's face was buried in his brother's shoulder, his own shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Alfred opened his mouth to say something else but words momentarily failed him. He sniffed and shook his head before managing to choke out, "Mattie was an inspiration to all of us. A-And I'm going to miss you, little bro." With that he picked up the paper he'd written his speech on which was now smudged with tears and went back over to sit down, allowing himself to be enveloped by Arthur and Francis as he cried. The vicar at the front started to speak again but Alfred couldn't hear the words over the wave of grief that washed over him. He needed and wanted his brother more than anything else in the world. He half wished that it had been him. That he had been the one to have been hit by that speeding car as he walked home alone from school. He knew that was a selfish wish though. If he had been hit and killed like his brother had then it would be his brother sitting here now, crying over his loss. And he wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy, let alone his brilliant twin brother. Music was playing in the background now. It was the song that he and Gilbert had chosen.

"_In the blink of an eye. I never got to say goodbye. Like a shooting star, flying across the room. So fast, so far. You were gone too soon. You're a part of me and I'll never be the same. Here without you, you were gone too soon."_

Alfred kept crying, listening to the words as they filtered in through his grief-stricken mind. _Far too soon, Mattie. Far, far too soon._

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: Totally wasn't almost crying while writing this. Hetalia doesn't belong to me. Allistor, Dylan and Connor are the names that I use for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. The song at the end is Gone Too Soon by Simple Plan.<strong>

**Edit: Because people have been asking I'll clarify here, Mattie died by being run over. It is mentioned in passing towards the end.**


End file.
